Improved cak-beake



@uitrit tates gatnt @Hita THOMAS'A. KELLEY, OF CLEVELAND, OI-IIO, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND WILLIAM G. WILSON, OF SAME PLACE.

Letters Patent No. 71,391, dated November 26, 1867.

IMPROVED GAR-BRAKE.

@In rlgehzil nicht tu in that tstters nnxt mit making pnt nf tin tants.

TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. K ELLEY, of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, have invented a new and improvedCar-Brake; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon. This invention belongs to that class in which the brakes are applied and taken offthrough the-action of a v i spring. Its chief peculiarity consists in aniechanism for resetting theibrakes automatically as soon as they are taken off, and for holding them during any length of time in readiness to be instantaneously applied.

To enable others to make and use my invention, I will new proceed to describe its construction and operation.

a represents a car-body of ordinary 'constructio n, with the brake-mechanism placed upon its upper side. b represents an eccentric, placed on onoof the car-axles; and b represents a cam 'placed on the eccentric. 'c represents a lever operating in a vertical plane, its pivot being in the lugs c on the head of the bar d, which is pivoted at d. The lugs c', with the lever, are thus allowed a limited lateral motion in the recess e in the end of the car-iioor. The width of this recess is about the same as the combined widths of the eccentric and cam. Upon the inner side of the lever o, near its lower end, is a pin, e, which, upon occasion, comes in contact with the surface of the cam. One side of the cam is cut away in V-form, leaving a shoulder of that shape. Upon4 that side of the eccentric opposite the V-shaped shoulder of the cam, is` a V-shaped projection, the point of which is about flush with the inner side of the eccentric. The ends of the shoulder on the cam are flush with the inner side oi' the eccentric. The consequence is, that when the pin e comes in contact with the cam, it is carried by the shoulder thereon to the eccentric, and by the shoulder on the eccentric it is carried clear of the latter, and falls oit` the inner side thereof. The method of effecting these movements and their object will now be explained. 71. represents a horizontal bar, pivoted to the upper end of the lever c. The bar h is pivoted at its other end to the head of the slide 7L', which plays in an orifice of' the block z', supported by the standards c, about at the centre of the car-bottom. To an ear projecting downward from the under side of said block is pivoted a dog, 7c', provided with a tooth, l, which tits in a corresponding notch in the slide It. The dog c, growing gradually smaller, projects far enough beyond the realil end of the block z' to come within the range of action of the `forked lever l', pivotcd in suitable supportsnear the rearlend of the.car. This lever is provided with a bail, m, projecting downward from its forked end, an'd enclosing the rear end of the dog cf, and also the rear end of the similar dog m. VThe function of the bail in is to prevent the ends of thedogs from dropping when they are not engaged with the slides. The dog 11i/,is pivoted like the dog lc beneath a slide, n, in another orifice in the block z', and also is provided with a tooth, which fits in a corresponding notch in the slide n. The slide mat its front end, is connected with the tempered spirabspring A, which furnishes the power by which the brakes are let on and taken ol. The spring A is attached at its forward end'to one'extremity of the chain r, which, passing around the horizontal sheave a, runs back and is also fastened to the forward end of the slide h by the side of the connecting-rod z. From the rear end of the slider@ projects a bar, d, to the rear end of which is attached one extremity of a chain, r', which, passing over the vertical sheave r, runs under the carlloor, directly to the brake-beam s, at the other end of the car.

`Ihe operation of this mechanism is as follows: Suppose the pin e to have come in contact with either the eccentric b or the cam biduring the movement of the car. It' the pin comes in contact with any part of the cam, it will speedily be carried by the V-shaped shoulder thereon to the face ofthe eccentric, and by the V-shaped projection thereon, the pin will very shortly be conducted oit` the side of the eccentric. During these operations the lower end ofthe lever e will have been pushed outward by the action of the cam and eccentric. The upper slide k far enough to cause the notch in the under side of the latter to pass some little distance beyond the tooth lof the dog 7c. As soon as the pin e passes ott the side of the eccentric b, the force propelling this mechanism of lever, connecting-rod, and s'lideto the rear, of course ceases, and another force immediately acts in the contrary direction, drawing ittoward the front again, until the tooth Z of the dog L" catches in the notch in the A slLdQL/lgnd arrests the said motion. 'lhe pin e is now held entirely clear of the eccentric and cam, and thus opposes no hindrance to thevfree rotation of the axle. It is obvious that during thev time ofthe backward motion of the slide ZL', the spring A musthave been extended through the action of thc chain nrx/The extension of the spring draws upon the slide n, and would inevitably'force it forward, thus applying the brakes through the operation of the chain 1, were it not for the tooth -of the dog m', which catches in the notch oi' the slide n, and the prevents thevapplieation 'of the brakes. The extension ofthe spring A ceases the moment the pin c passes clear of the eccentric, and it is its rctrhctile force that draws the slide 71, against the tooth Zof the dog k. When this is done, lthe brakes are set and ready to be applied. In this condition the mechanism is capable of remaining for anylcngth of time. I I l From what has been said, it is manifest that all thatkeeps'thc brakes olf the wheels is the tooth of the dog m', against which the slide n is drawn by theA spring A. To apply the brakes, then, it is only necessary to release the slide n from the tooth et' the dog m. This is done by raising the rear end of the forked lever Z,

which movement brings its front end upon the dogm, and` forces it downward, effecting the-release. Immediately thereupon the spring A is retracted, and applies the brake through the operation of the slide In, the sheave 7', and thc chain 1*. Itwill be seen that, in this way,fthe brakes are applied instantaneously', 'and with a force dependent upon .the strength ofthe spring A. f v v I While the brakes are in contact with the wheels, the spring A is held under tension in one direction-for. ward-by the tooth Z and slide Zt. It is also held under `tension in the opplosite'dircction by the wheels and brakes. To relieve it of these tensions, and thus let on the brakes, it is only necessary. to withdrew the tootlfl fromth'e slide h', which is donc also through the operation of. the forked lever Z. As it is important that the dog Zc, which acts in letting oil' the brakes, shall not be operated at the same time as the dog m', which acts in -letting them on, as would be liable to bemthezca'se', since thcends of both dogs aredepresscd by the diffe-rent forks of the lsame lever, ZI', a notcli is cut at the rear end of the dog le', which receives onefork while the other is actuating tho dog m', thus preventing the brakesifrom being let offat the same time they are let on. In order to prevent thc-former operation from taking place immediately after the latter, through accident or excitement, in continuing to elevate the rear end of the lever Z', a stop, sv, is placed upon the .bar CZ', and a stop,w, on the lever Z. The stop x is to prcvcntthc elevation of the lever Z after the spring A. is freed, and thc-stop w is to prevent thc spring from drawing the bar-CZ, with its stop, so far forward as to rendcrit :1t-once inoperative to vcheck the lever Z. 'Accordingly the letting-on of the brakes is accomplished by two distinct movements of the lever Z-one upward, by which the spring A. is freed, and the stop a: drawn against the stop tu; the other down ward, by which the stop w is withdrawn fro1n`the stop rv, and theletting-on process completed. Then the mechanism is ready for the letting-off process, whichis aecomplishethns has been xplained, by a single upward movement of the lever Z. As son as this movement is made, the pin e.colnes in contact with the cam b', and the brakes are at once set again. l

rlhe design is .to connect thc-lever Zof each car with a cord running the whole length of the train, so that the proper person can let on and oil all thebrakes of the train instantaneously. w

Having thus fully describedl my invcntion,\v`hat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The brake-setting mechanism, consisting' of the cam b', with its V-Shaped shoulder, the eccentric b, with its V-shaped projection, both upon the axle of the car, the lever c, connecting-bar la, slide L, with its notch, ldog lc', with its tooth, chain 7", and spring A, in combination, substantially as described.

2. Thclettingw' mechanism, consisting of the lever Z, with its bail'm, dog c, with its tooth, the slide Zz', with its notehfthc chain r', and the tempered spring A, substantially as described.

` T. A. KELLEY.

Witnesses:

W. G. WILSON, W. H. HENDERSON. 

